Milo ed tech charged in teen alcohol case

BROWNVILLE, Maine — An education technician at Penquis Valley High School in Milo was charged earlier this week with furnishing liquor to a minor.

Suzanne Russell, 30, of Brownville is expected to make her initial appearance Nov. 16 in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft.

Brownville Police Chief Nick Clukey said Thursday the charge stems from a motor vehicle stop that occurred at 11 p.m. Aug. 29 on Main Road in Brownville.

He said Brownville police Officer Bruce Graybill stopped a vehicle driven by Roy Hathorn, 25, of Brownville because it had no plate light. During the stop, Graybill saw two youths, ages 16 and 17, and an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle, according to Clukey.

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Clukey said Graybill confirmed that one of the juveniles, a girl, had been drinking and she was immediately summoned for possession of liquor by a minor. In addition, Hathorn was charged with furnishing liquor to a minor, furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol, and for having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. The other juvenile, a male, had not been drinking, Clukey said.

Hathorn’s girlfriend, Suzanne Russell, also was a passenger in the vehicle, Clukey said. She was not charged that night but information came out recently that the alcohol the minor was drinking had been purchased by Russell, he said.

Clukey, the primary investigator, said he found that Russell had bought hard lemonade at a local store earlier on the evening of Aug. 29 and had given it to the juvenile. After the alcohol was purchased, the foursome went to a camp north of Brownville, he said. Hathorn and his passengers were returning home when his vehicle was stopped, Clukey said.

SAD 41 Superintendent Michael Wright could not be reached Thursday afternoon for comment.